Prudential PLC Sells 1,181 Shares of Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Prudential PLC lessened its holdings in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 28,391 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,181 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $14,241,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the first quarter worth $30,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in Moody’s by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 66 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 42.9% during the 2nd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 80 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the second quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Moody’s by 132.6% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 107 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE MCO opened at $474.85 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $483.67 and a 200-day moving average of $491.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.40. Moody’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $378.71 and a 52 week high of $531.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.22. Moody’s had a return on equity of 63.58% and a net margin of 29.92%.The firm had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.21 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.500-14.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Moody’s Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st will be issued a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 21st. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.23%.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,167 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.95, for a total transaction of $558,934.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,255,223.90. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 2,569 shares of company stock valued at $1,253,848 over the last quarter. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MCO shares. Seaport Res Ptn raised Moody’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Moody’s from $597.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Moody’s from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Moody’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $543.07.

Moody’s Company Profile

Moody’s Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody’s Analytics and Moody’s Investors Services. The Moody’s Analytics segment develops a range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets.